


Lifeguard Lovin’

by The_Mishamigo



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Awkward Steve Rogers, Bruce Loves The Sauna, Captain America Steve Rogers/Modern Bucky Barnes, Clint Barton Wears Speedos, Confident Bucky Barnes, Gentleman Steve Rogers, Lifeguard Bucky Barnes, M/M, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Precious Peter Parker, Shrunkyclunks, Smitten Steve Rogers, Steve Falls In Love, dad tony stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-26 18:53:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30110463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Mishamigo/pseuds/The_Mishamigo
Summary: Steve Rogers has never, ever, been to a public pool in his life. Tony hears this and forces the team to show him what its all about. Steve, who just wants to relax, walks into the most gorgeous lifeguard he’s ever seen in his life...And if he can’t seem to form words around him, Bucky didn’t seem to care.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 94





	Lifeguard Lovin’

**Author's Note:**

> All Comments, Kudos and Bookmarks are appreciated! They make my day😁
> 
> Not Beta-read, quick one-shot at midnight, so lets hope its okay!😅

Steve Rogers had, probably, never been to a public pool in his life. From the days of the depression, to saving the world day in and day out. He never thought it right to take time out to just jump in the deep end, splashing around like a giant shark around a bunch of kids that just wanted to have a good time. 

Tony Stark, however, heard this fact and was shocked to say the least. He suggested, no... forced, the team to go to the local leisure centre in all sorts of swimwear. Steve had the ‘pleasure’ to be dressed in red, white and blue swim shorts that were hiked up too far up his thighs (which, also, showed off way too much skin than he’d like). 

Natasha had to force him outside of the tower as the day started, dressing him up in casual clothes to cover the ridiculous shorts. He put on a jacket, showing off the curve of his torso and the protruding muscles that, according to Sam, made the ladies ‘swoon’. Nat styled his blonde hair, swooping it slightly to the right of his face. His beard, which he was very proud, of was combed and groomed. If he didn’t know any better, Steve would think that she had an ulterior motive (and he knew Natasha very well, so, yes, she probably was planning something). 

Steve walked into the Avengers common room, laughing at the team dressed up in different levels of dress/undress. 

Tony, stood in the middle, with his arm over Peter, wore a swim camp and ridiculous shorts (combined with a tank top, that was covering up the arc reactor that he was very insecure about). Peter, the Avenger’s baby, wore a Spiderman one-suit that Tony was currently in fits over. 

Bruce was still dressed up in all his clothes, like Steve, and was awkwardly sat on the sofa next to Thor, who’s muscles were incredibly intimidating. Thor, the man who stood over Steve by a few inches, wore red swim shorts that Tony brought him from the store a day prior. 

Clint wore speedos, because of course he did. Speedos were synonymous with someone like Clint Barton, Steve had seen that over the two years since he was de-iced. 

Natasha, the most intimidating woman Steve had ever met (par Peggy), wore a gorgeous black bikini that made her body look amazing. Her long red hair was down by her shoulders, with a big straw hat covering the top of her head. 

Really, the whole team looked good. But, even so, Steve wasn’t looking forward to any swimming or.. well, water. In any sense. He just wasn’t a fan of vast amounts of liquid, after being stuck in the frozen ocean for seventy years. 

Steve watched as Tony forced suncream of Peter’s face, laughing to himself as the teenager pouted and tried to run away. Really, those two were sweet, really sweet. It made him miss his family, even if it was just him and his Ma. He must’ve looked sad, as a hand fell on his lower back. Looking back, Natasha met his eyes.

“Steve?” She asked, looking at his face in a way that only secret spies did, trying to learn all of his secrets. “You okay?” 

“Just, you know, looking forward to... swimming,” Steve said, his words not convincing in the slightest. 

“Mr Captain America, sir?” Peter asked, now on-top of Thor’s shoulders (everyone loved the kid). The kid’s words made him laugh, as he had tired to get him to just say ‘Steve’ for so long, but he just wouldn’t budge. “You don’t have to go, if you don’t want to? We wouldn’t be bummed out, right? Mr Stark, am I right?” 

Tony looked up, Stark-pad in hand (every moment in the day was a way to continue with his projects), and grinned at the boy. “Well, kiddie- the Capsicle definitely needs some-,” as the teen started to glare, he immediately melted (Peter Parker was the billionaire’s weakness, of course). “Nah, Cap. The choice is all down to you.” 

“Well, uh, thanks, but- it’s okay, I’ll come,” Steve stuttered, wrapping arms around himself, closed-off and stressed. 

Walking down the team, Avengers-in-co, was a weird, weird, sight to the citizens of New York. It took more minutes than they would’ve liked to get to the pool, due to multiple fans that stopped them for a photoshoot, but they got there. The poor person on desk had wide eyes, coming face to face with the group. What an anecdote they’d have one day, Steve thought.

Tony sat on the edge of the pool, Peter splashing around with Thor and Clint. Natasha was lounging on a chair, an umbrella covering her from the sun rays. Bruce was in a sauna somewhere, relaxing his little scientist body. 

Steve stood awkwardly on the floor, hands to his side, feeling as if he looked like a sore thumb. He definitely stood out, which he didn’t like. He didn’t like it all. 

Steve’s eyes flickered up, looking around. The pool was huge, with two big slides. On the other side of the room, there was another pool for younger kids (which was also packed). The third pool was a smaller one, with an extension for jets, and Steve’s legs seemed to take him over there. Alone. But, perhaps, alone was good. 

Steve awkwardly stepped into the little pool, sighing in content from the jets that hit his back. He blinked a few times, a small smile drawing over his face. This was nice. Maybe Steve Rogers was a fan of pools, if they were all like this. 

But, then, his plans of relaxation were ruined. A bunch of older ladies joined him, all giggling and staring at him. Steve’s shoulders immediately squared, his whole body freezing up. 

Captain America was the figure of an all American, loving man. Steve Rogers, however, was not. He was stubborn, shy, alone and, well, out-of-touch. As his body? As much as he was proud if it, he was very insecure of how much people ogled him without discretion. He was still a person, a person who loved his privacy. 

Steve sat, eyes closed, trying to hum to keep himself from stressing out too much. He hummed underneath his breath, trying to ignore the whispers of these new women. But, as one of the older ladies’ hand crept up to his knee, he jumped up and bolted out of the ‘hot tub’ (that was barely a hot tub). 

Jumping up fast, Steve felt himself crash into another body. He automatically wrapped a hand around this new person’s waist, stopping them from falling down onto the ground. His eyes previously closed, Steve opened them and saw the most gorgeous man in the world. 

This man was wearing a yellow shirt, a red whistle dangling around his neck by a string. Red shorts looked so good on him, looking a lot better than any shorts Steve had ever seen in his life before. His brunette hair shaped his face beautifully, sharing a similar ‘swoop’ to Steve’s. It was short, obviously just cut, and wow, it sure made him look handsome (although, he would bet that any hair would look gorgeous on someone like this). His sharp jawline was covered in a bit of stubble, that Steve wanted to feel rubbing against his cheek. His eyes. Wow, his eyes. Blue eyes. Beautiful blue eyes. And if there was a perfect eye shape, it was these. And his lips... maybe Steve should stop sharing and move his arm, but he was just frozen in shock at how perfect this lifeguard was. 

But, unknown to Steve, hot lifeguard was looking at him in the same way. Steve wasn’t sure if he knew he was Captain America, but his eyes kept flickering down to the superheroes’ lips. Very good lips, in this man’s opinion (apparently). 

“Hello,” Steve said, and he would be embarrassed if there wasn’t a hot guys in his arms. Because, well, he still hadn’t let go yet. “Lifeguard. Pretty,” Steve said, and jesus- he knew he was nervous around hot people, but this wasn’t something that happened. He had never lost the ability to say words before. 

Pretty man giggled, which was music to Steve’s ears. “Hello to you too, but- uh, maybe you should let me go?” 

“Right, yes. Right,” Steve said, gently distancing himself from this person. “I’m sorry for falling for you- I, god, I-uh mean- sorry for falling into you.” 

Beautiful man had a flush over his face, red and hot on his cheeks. He grinned, batting his long eyelashes up at Steve. “My, uh, name is Bucky. Bucky Barnes.. and, it’s fine. I see you were in a tub with the ladies, so I don’t blame you,” Bucky was looking over his shoulders, waving at the women with a grin that really made Steve weak in the knees. “Hi girls!” He called. All of the ladies giggled and Steve was sure that he did too. 

“Steve,” Steve blurted out, taking Bucky’s hand to shake it. He shook it as professionally as he could, “That is my name. Steve Rogers.” 

“Hello Steve Rogers,” Bucky said, and wow... hearing the most beautiful person say his name was the best thing he ever heard. “How about I show you where the best place is to lounge in this pool? You seem like you need some alone time?” 

“Yes. Yes, I’d like you- I’d like to- um, go with you,” Steve grinned, still holding Bucky’s hand. When he noticed, he immediately dropped it. He chuckled underneath his breath, scratching the back of his head as he took a few steps backwards. God, he really was embarrassed. 

But, as he took those steps, he fell backwards into the pool. Landing in the water, Steve’s heart dropped. He flapped his arms, tears pooling in his eyes. God, he felt pathetic. He was Captain America and he couldn’t handle water- he was so stupid- he- 

He was looking at Bucky? He must’ve blacked out for a bit, as when he blinked a group of people looked down at him with concerned faces. But the main person he cared about was Bucky. His eyes shifted around, finally landing on the lifeguard who was knelt down to his left. His hand was on Steve’s upper arm, looking at him in a way that made Steve mortified. 

“Mr Rogers?” Peter called, who was knelt to the right (smart kid, he never revealed that it was Steve, although most people noticed), “Are you okay? God that was scary, Mr Barnes here pulled you out and it was the coolest thing in the world. Wasn’t it, Mr Stark?” The teen continued babbling, looking up at Tony who was stood over Peter.

“Looked like a scene out of Baywatch,” Tony nodded, adding a little comment to Peter’s rant. Peter seemed to agreed, nodding enthusiastically at what Tony said. 

“Yeah! It totally did! He did this whole dive thing, picked you up with one arm, and pulled you out like some sort of super solider!,” Steve did not miss the irony in Peter’s statement, raising an eyebrow as Peter continued speaking (once he started, it really was hard to get him to stop. Tony’s kid, after all). “Then I come over and Mr Bucky’s- sorry Mr Barnes- is doing this whole CPR thing- so I start humming Stay Alive and apparently that’s not very helpful, so I stopped and called Tony over- who said that we should call SHIELD’s hospital- but, by then, Mr Barnes had already got you coughing the water out and-,” 

“Jesus, Petey-,” Tony laughed, “Take a breath. Let Steve think.” 

“Sorry! Got carried away!” Peter smiled, letting himself stand up, “Come on, Tony! Lets go on the slides again!” Peter grabbed his hand, and Steve was sure that he was the only person (par Pepper, Rhodey and Happy) allowed to do that, pulling him to the biggest contraption. With a small ‘get well soon, Mr Rogers’, both of them were out of the way.

“Good friends,” Bucky chuckled, helping Steve set up. “Mr Stark offered me 3,000 dollars for saving your life, you know. He must care a lot about your well-being.” 

“Did you take it?” Steve asked, staring into those baby-blues, as he tried his hardest to not get hypnotised. Bucky sat him down on a bench, wrapping a towel around his shoulders and Steve was so grateful that he came today. 

“Of course I didn’t, Steve,” Bucky smiled, making sure this towel swaddled him. And Steve wasn’t self conceited, no, but the way that Bucky’s hand hovered over his pecs, wanting, made him very happy. “All I needed from saving your life was making sure you were okay..,” 

“So, um, you didn’t freak out that I was friends with Tony Stark,” Steve pointed out, edging a bit closer to Bucky’s body as soon as the lifeguard sat down. 

“I knew you were Captain America from the moment your massive muscles stepped into me. I just have the decency to know that Cap’s a character, and you? You’re just Steve Rogers, someone who, apparently, gets distracted by confident brunettes.” 

Oh, god. Steve could’ve kissed him right there. All he ever wanted was to be separated from the role. All he wanted was someone, outside the team, to treat him as if he was another human. And, Bucky? Bucky was doing just that. 

“I think you mean gorgeous brunettes,” Steve mumbled, his heart racing in his chest. Was it possible to fall in love with someone the day you met them? Bucky was hot, strong, and so respectful. He was everything Steve looked for in a partner and he really, really, wanted to take the man for dinner. “You- are... perfect.” 

“You’re adorable,” Bucky laughed. “But, Stevie, I’m far from perfect. But I guess that we’ll need to learn more about each other, huh? Guess you should take me on a date?” 

“Yes!” Steve exclaimed, nodding, “I’d love that. I’d do- yes, wow- sounds good, sounds great- I have a phone and a number and I’d like to give you the number and-,” 

“Stevie, calm down,” Bucky smiled, “My shift ends up at 5. Meet me by the doors and bring your beautiful self and your number. For now, go spend time with your friends. It looks like they need their Captain.” 

And Bucky was right. The Avengers were spread across the biggest pool. Well, some were. Tony was watching Peter on the slide, grinning to himself. Peter was enjoying the slide, making ‘wooping’ noises as he went. Natasha was glaring at Clint, who’s eyes were more focused on the tiles than the conversation. Thor was on-top of the diving board, shouting something that sounded like an Asgardian speech. Bruce? Bruce was living his best life, still locked up in the sauna. Wow, he really knew a bunch of crazy people. 

Getting them under control was not an easy feat, but he did it. And, before he knew it, the day was over. Steve walked past Bucky, almost walking into the wall the moment that the man winked at him. He dried himself off, getting into his clothes. He made sure that they looked the best they could, smoothing down his shirt. 

“I knew you’d like it here,” Nat winked, walking past. “Bucky and I go on coffee dates every weekend. No, he doesn’t know I’m the Black Widow. No, he will not find out. Yes, he’s a perfect person and you two would make the world’s most perfect babies if it was biologically possible,” and with that, she walked off. 

Steve knew she had a plan all along, but he wasn’t mad. Bucky was a brilliant plan.

The rest of the team left, leaving Steve to sit on the bench next to the entrance of the pool. When Bucky eventually walked out, Steve’s breath caught in his throat. If Steve thought the man was a hot lifeguard, then this was something else. He looked as if he just walked straight out of a men’s health magazine. He wore a black button up, which was tucked into the waistband on the black jeans he wore. A belt was woven in the hoops, making his body have a slight curve to it. Steve wanted to run his hand down it. He wanted to learn Bucky’s body, so he could remember it whenever he closed his eyes. His jacket was black too, and was that leather? If Steve was drooling, Bucky didn’t point it out. 

“Hey, Buck,” Steve whispered, a little confused where the nickname came from (and he didn’t know it was a nickname of a nickname). “You look- wow-,” 

“Hey, Stevie,” Bucky smiled. If it wasn’t light outside, Steve would’ve been blinded by how beautiful that smile was. “I’m glad you’re here-,” 

“I want to take you on a date. Now. If you’re not busy. I can’t wait,” Steve said. Once again, he wasn’t sure why he was being so impulsive. He just didn’t want to leave Bucky’s side now, now that he knew him.

“How about we go for a walk down the park?” Bucky offered, smiling. 

Steve nodded, standing up and linking their arms. He wasn’t sure if he was being too forward, but Bucky seemed receptive. They walked together, conversation flowing as if they’d known each other all their lives (which was a long, long, time for Steve). By the end of their evening, Steve’s jacket found itself over Bucky’s shoulders and Steve even rushed into a shop to purchase a scarf that was now around Bucky’s neck. 

As the sun set and the moon rose, Steve knew it was probably time for him to head back to the tower. He looked at Bucky, taking one of his hands. “I hope I didn’t embarrass myself too much in front of you, Buck. I-I just get flustered in front of beautiful people and you? You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen and it’s so intimidating-,” 

“I thought it was precious, Stevie. Don’t worry your gorgeous head of hair about it. I’m honoured,” Bucky winked. 

“And I hope you don’t think I was weak with the whole water thing- it just triggers my PTSD and-,” Steve tried to explain, but Bucky cut him off.

“I understand, sweetheart. I’d never think that you were weak. Okay?” Bucky said, slipping his hand inside his pocket to grab his phone. He passed it to Steve, got him to put his phone number in it, and smiled gently. “I’ve had a good time today.” 

“Me too,” Steve admitted, “I sure am glad I came along today- you know, as I met you.. and-,” 

“And we’ll definitely do this again, right? Well, I hope we do,” Bucky said, his thumb brushing against Steve’s hand (whilst giving Steve the shivers). 

Steve leant forward and kissed Bucky on the cheek. As he leant back, he looked down to the floor and shuffled on his feet. He bit his lip, anxiously, and smiled to his shoes. “I hope that answers your question-,” 

“Do you want to give me an actual kiss, Stevie?” Bucky whispered, putting one, free, finger tip on the edge of his chin. “I promise you that I won’t mind.” 

Steve beamed, leaning in and attaching their lips together. Steve dropped Bucky’s hand, using to pull him closer by the waist. Bucky’s hand tangled in his hair, and explored his body as they deepened their kiss. Steve relished on how his stubble rubbed against his beard. 

He had never wanted to pull away from a kiss since this day. But, unfortunately, he had to. Him and Bucky looked in each other’s eyes, staring for just a while. 

“I’ll see you soon, Buck,” Steve whispered, in an attempt to say goodbye.

“Yeah you will, Stevie.”


End file.
